https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/10/lessons-from-eve?lang=eng
Lessons
from Eve
President and Sister Benson, I hope you can feel the love and
spirit emanating from the thousands of sisters at this General Women’s Meeting.
President Hinckley and President Monson, we extend our love to you and your
companions. The attendance of members of the First Presidency symbolizes their
support for each of us. On their behalf, I extend their gratitude and love to
all of you.
I deeply appreciate the invocation and the messages delivered by
the General Presidency of the Relief Society and by this wonderful women’s
chorus.
Sister Doxey has recounted the privilege that each of us has to
strengthen the family—the basic component of society, and the fundamental unit
of the Church. The family is provided in God’s plan to nurture his children and
prepare them to return to him—as families.
Sister Evans has helped us understand that the human race
doesn’t run on a smooth track. The route more closely resembles an obstacle
course with hurdles, puddles, or snares lurking around every turn we make. Life
isn’t meant to be easy. The race isn’t to be won by the swift or the flashy.
Victory comes only to those who muster the faith to stay on the track—the
strait and narrow way.
Sister Winder has put our purpose in perspective. She has taught
an eternal truth—“Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Ne. 2:25). And she has
emphasized one of the means by which true joy is realized: rendering selfless
service of worth to others.
As the male participant tonight, I bear a great responsibility
to convey deep feelings of gratitude. For the men of the Church, I say thank
you!
Not only do I express gratitude, but our affection as well.
Represented in this vast audience are our dear companions, our mothers, our
sisters, our daughters, and our granddaughters. We respect and honor you. We
support your wonderful efforts. We are grateful to receive the benefit of your
counsel and insights in challenges we share as partners. And we thank you as mothers
or potential mothers for your partnership with God in providing life. Without
women, the whole purpose of the creation of this world would be in vain.
This truth we learn from scriptures about the priesthood, the
Creation, Adam and Eve.
Before the world was formed, the Lord Jesus Christ was Jehovah,
“the Great I Am … the beginning and the end, … [who] looked upon the wide
expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven” (D&C 38:1; see
also D&C 29:1; D&C 39:1).
He told Abraham, having first shown him “the intelligences that
were organized before the world was; among all these there were many of the
noble and great ones;
“And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in
the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers” (Abr. 3:22–23).
The Lord then revealed that Abraham was one of them, chosen and
foreordained before he was born.
Scriptural verse then continues:
“There stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said
unto those who were with him: We will go down, … and we will make an earth
whereon these may dwell” (Abr. 3:24).
Then “the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth”
(Abr. 4:1).
You will recall that after the earth had been created, divided,
beautified, and inhabited with plant and animal life, the crowning achievement
of the Creation was to be man—the human being. “So the Gods went down to
organize man in their own image, … male and female to form they them” (Abr.
4:27; see also Gen. 1:26).
The very purpose of creation was to provide bodies, to enable
these eagerly awaiting spirits to enjoy mortal life and experiences.
Question: What was the role of the priesthood in the process of
creation?
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:
“The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with
God from eternity. … Christ is the Great High Priest; Adam next” (Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938, pp. 157–58).
“The priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First
Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained
it in the Creation, before the world was formed” (Teachings, p. 157).
President Brigham Young said, “Priesthood … is the law by which
the worlds are, were, and will continue for ever and ever” (Discourses
of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1941, p. 130).
Thus, priesthood is the power of God. Its ordinances and
covenants are to bless men and women alike. By that power, the earth was
created. Under the direction of the Father, Jehovah was the creator. As
Michael, Adam did his part. He became the first man. But, in spite of the power
and glory of creation to that point, the final link in the chain of creation
was still missing. All the purposes of the world and all that was in the world
would be brought to naught without woman—a keystone in the priesthood arch of
creation.
When Eve was created—when her body was made by God—Adam exclaimed,
“Bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because
she was taken out of man” (Moses 3:23).
From the rib of Adam, Eve was formed (see Gen. 2:22; Moses 3:22;
Abr. 5:16). Interesting to me is the fact that animals fashioned by our
Creator, such as dogs and cats, have thirteen pairs of ribs, but the human
being has one less with only twelve. I presume another bone could have been
used, but the rib, coming as it does from the side, seems to denote
partnership. The rib signifies neither dominion nor subservience, but a lateral
relationship as partners, to work and to live, side by side.
Adam and Eve were joined together in marriage for time and for
all eternity by the power of that everlasting priesthood (see Gen. 2:24–25;
Moses 3:25; Abr. 5:18–19). Eve came as a partner, to build and to organize the
bodies of mortal men. She was designed by Deity to cocreate and nurture life,
that the great plan of the Father might achieve fruition. Eve “was the mother
of all living” (Moses 4:26). She was the first of all women.
From our study of Eve, we may learn five fundamental lessons of
everlasting importance:
1. She
labored beside her companion (see Moses 5:1).
2. She
and Adam bore the responsibilities of parenthood (see Moses 5:2).
3. She
and her partner worshipped the Lord in prayer (see Moses 5:4).
4. She
and Adam heeded divine commandments of obedience and sacrifice (see Moses 5:5,
6).
5. She
and her husband taught the gospel to their children (see Moses 5:12).
From these five fundamental lessons, we can study patterns which
apply to present-day circumstances. Let us review them, lesson by lesson.
1. She labored beside her companion. Adam
held the priesthood. Eve served in matriarchal partnership with the patriarchal
priesthood. So today, each wife may join with her husband as a partner unified
in purpose. Scriptures state clearly, “Neither is the man without the woman,
neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:11). “They twain
shall be one flesh” (Matt. 19:6; Mark 10:8; D&C 49:16). Marvelously, it
takes a man and a woman to make a man or a
woman. Without union of the sexes, neither can we exist, nor can we become
perfect. Ordinary and imperfect people can build each other through their
wholeness together. The complete contribution of one partner to the other is
essential to exaltation. This is so “that the earth might answer the end of its
creation” (D&C 49:16).
So
labor and love in partnership. Honor your companion. Any sense of competition
for place or position is not appropriate for either partner, especially when
enlightened by scriptural understanding.
2. As Adam bore responsibilities of fatherhood, so Eve bore the
responsibilities of motherhood. She did not shirk them.
So with welcome arms you may gratefully greet those children God may send,
through your divine design as cocreator. With your husband, be obedient to the
commandment to multiply and replenish the earth, as your opportunity, your
spiritual guidance, your wisdom, and your health allow. You will gain joy and
rejoicing in your posterity. That enrichment becomes more beautiful and
precious with each passing year.
For
you childless sisters and those without companions, remember the eternal
timetable of the Lord is much longer than the lonely hours of your preparation
or the total of this mortal life. These are only as microseconds when compared
to eternity. Your willingness and worthiness are surely known to Him. The
spiritual rewards of motherhood are available to all women. Nurturing the
young, comforting the frightened, protecting the vulnerable, teaching and
giving encouragement need not—and should not—be limited to our own children.
Sisters,
be patient. I know something of the pressures you feel. Your kitchens are too
small. Your budgets are too tight. Demands upon you exceed your capacity to
help all who cry out to you. Through it all, “Improve the shining moments;
Don’t let them pass you by” (Hymns, 1985, no.
226). Take time for spiritual regeneration.
I’ll
share a few lines that have sustained Sister Nelson through the years. They
also reflect her sense of priority:
Cleaning
and scrubbing can wait ’til tomorrow.
For
babies grow up,
We’ve
learned to our sorrow.
So
quiet down, cobwebs.
Dust,
go to sleep.
I’m
rocking my baby,
And
babies don’t keep.
I’m
glad Sister Nelson has not tried to be a “supermom.” But she has been a
“soothing” mom. This she has done simply by being herself.
When
priorities are in place, one can more patiently tolerate unfinished business.
“Time
flies on wings of lightning; We cannot call it back” (Hymns, 1985, no.
226). And while it passes, remember the precious eternal perspective. As you
faithfully endure to the end, you will gain rewards promised by your Father in
Heaven. They include thrones, kingdoms, principalities, powers, dominions,
glory, immortality, and eternal lives (see D&C 75:5; D&C 128:12, 13;
D&C 132:19, 24; Moses 1:39).
3. Eve and her partner worshipped the Lord in prayer. As
“Adam and Eve … called upon the name of the Lord” (Moses 5:4), a precedent was
established. As each of us follows that pattern of prayer, blessings of wisdom
and personal peace will ensue.
“Counsel
with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good” (Alma
37:37). Pray alone in your closet—in the solitude of your own sanctuary. Pour
out the longings of your soul. Then pray with and for your husband, your sons
and daughters, your sister and brother, your mother and father and all in your
family. Let the weight of your innocence be felt as you lovingly motivate
others to good works. With your mind so attuned to the Lord and his power, your
influence for good becomes immeasurably great. And in this world of sin and
temptation, the power of prayer will protect you and be a shield for your loved
ones.
I
plead with the women of the Church to accept individual responsibility to know
and to love the Lord. Communicate with him. He will impress upon your mind
inspiration and personal revelation to give you strength.
4. Eve and her husband heeded divine commandments of obedience and
sacrifice. They received “commandments, that they should worship the
Lord their God, and should offer … an offering unto the Lord” (Moses 5:5).
This
direction to worship and sacrifice was obeyed by Adam and Eve. Later they
learned that this was “a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of
the Father, which is full of grace and truth” (Moses 5:7).
When
Christ came to the earth, he fulfilled the promised role as he became the
ultimate sacrificial lamb. His atonement brought about a greater destiny and a
nobler concept for us. We are still commanded to sacrifice, but not by shedding
blood of animals. Our highest sense of sacrifice is achieved as we make
ourselves more sacred or holy.
This
we do by our obedience to the commandments of God. Thus, the laws of obedience
and sacrifice are indelibly intertwined. Consider the commandments to obey the
Word of Wisdom, to keep the Sabbath day holy, to pay an honest tithe. As we
comply with these and other commandments, something wonderful happens to us. We
become disciplined! We become disciples! We become more sacred and holy—like
our Lord!
I pay
tribute to beloved ladies in my life who have taught sanctifying lessons to me.
For a
short time during the first year of our marriage, Sister Nelson maintained two
jobs while I was in medical school. Before her paychecks had arrived, we found
ourselves owing more than our funds could defray. So we took advantage of an
option then available to sell blood at $25 a pint. In an interval between her daytime
job as a schoolteacher and her evening work as a clerk in a music store, we
went to the hospital and each sold a pint of blood. As the needle was withdrawn
from her arm, she said to me, “Don’t forget to pay tithing on my blood money.”
(When her mother learned I was bleeding her daughter between two jobs, I sensed
at that time she may not have been too pleased with her new son-in-law.) Such
obedience was a tremendous lesson to me. Sister Nelson’s commitment to tithe
became my commitment, too.
You
righteous daughters, never underestimate the influence for good you can exert
upon your fathers. I haven’t met a father yet who claimed to be perfect. So in
his imperfection, stand steadfast in loving patience with your dad. Let me
illustrate this point with a personal story.
Many
years ago when our daughters were very young, Sister Nelson and I took them
fishing. We were having a wonderful time. Everyone was catching fish. Then
shades of Saturday night’s darkness brought a curfew to our fun. So great was
my enthusiasm for our success, I allowed myself to rationalize aloud with the
girls. (Rationalization is one of the real obstacles to obedience.) Knowing
that the next day was Sunday, I jokingly said, “If we get up tomorrow two hours
earlier than normal, we could catch some more fish and then quit promptly at
our usual wake-up hour.”
Silence
followed. My companion and our daughters all glared at me. Icy stillness was
broken when our seven-year-old said, “Daddy, would you eat those fish you
caught on Sunday?”
Then
she added, “Would you ask Heavenly Father to bless fish you caught on the
Sabbath?”
Needless
to say, we did no fishing the next morning.
Their
commitment to the Sabbath became my commitment, too.
So it
is, dear daughters. As you obey each of God’s commandments, your holiness will
fortify the foundation of your fathers’ faith. When the two of you are together
spiritually, one plus one is clearly greater than two.
5. Adam and Eve taught the gospel to their children. Today,
men and women still have that worthy work to do. But before you can teach, you
must first learn of your premortal existence, the Creation, the Fall, the
atonement of Christ, and the reason for mortality. Study the scriptures and
internalize them. Teach faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy
Ghost. Then let your commitment to the mission of the Church be evident in all
you do. Preaching the gospel, perfecting the Saints, and redeeming members of
your family will cause you to concentrate on covenants and ordinances of
eternal significance.
As
you exercise your agency, teach things that are elevating and useful. Teach the
principles of honesty, self-reliance, avoidance of unnecessary debt. You will
build a more stable society by so doing. And remember your example. What you
are is more important than what you do or what you say.
We can’t all do all things. Circumstances, available time, and
talents vary widely among us. Your diversities take you to numerous arenas of
activity. There let your presence be felt.
Your foes in a sordid society demean the sacredness of women and
the sanctity of motherhood. Your world, sickened by unchastity and plagued with
sexually transmitted disease, needs your righteous example. For the wrath of
God is provoked by governments that sponsor gambling, condone pornography, or
legalize abortion. These forces serve to denigrate women now, just as they did
in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.
You can—you must—make a difference. You are vital to the Lord’s
team—one team with one purpose. Through your diversity, build strength in
unity. Bind yourselves together in all holiness. Anchor yourselves to “the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner stone” (Eph. 2:20).
As Sister Winder mentioned, the funeral service for Sister Camilla
Kimball was held earlier today. Magnificent and well-deserved tributes were
paid to her. We can learn from her great example of courage. Let us emulate her
faith and likewise heed this teaching from the Book of Mormon, which gave her
such strength and security:
“Remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is
Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil
shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when
all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power
over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the
rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon
if men build they cannot fall” (Hel. 5:12).
Beloved sisters, let your lives be committed to your Father in
Heaven, to his Only Begotten Son, and to his church, restored by them in this
latter day. I testify that it is true and that President Benson is the prophet
on earth today. A dispensation of the gospel has been entrusted to our care.
Everlasting priesthood principles, laws, and powers depend upon our
partnership.
I invoke the blessings of Almighty God upon you that you may be
successful in fulfilling your divine destiny, in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
“Lessons
We All Need”
cji
8/1/18
Eternity
is a very long time
too simplify
be obedient
to obey
needs knowledge
what to
obey and why
being
taught in righteousness
lessons
we all need to know
Deuteronomy
5 tells all
but via
example we grow
do what is re-teachable
what you’d
have others do
thus you
to do always
lessons
we all need!
Copyright ©
2018 – cji
